Ernie’s Journey To m
Pu rdy
HOOPLAHA.COM: ONLY GOOD NEWS
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M
ost runners are proud when they achieve certain milestones. For most runners, the marathon is the pinnacle of their running days. Typically, running is thought to be for the young and the middle aged, with fewer runners able to continue into their twilight years. Ernie Andrus is not most runners. Later this summer Ernie will run across St. Simons Island, step into the Atlantic Ocean’s waters, and complete his Guinness World Record-setting run across the country; hopefully the day after his 93rd birthday, August 20. Ernie’s journey began more than two years ago when he was a youngster of only 90 years. He
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ELEGANT ISLAND LIVING
took up running late in life, running his first half marathon at age 87, and running 200-mile relays at age 88. Ernie isn’t the fastest runner around, but his determination is what sets him apart. His running calendar typically includes six miles per day, three days per week. At his age, pace is everything. When he invites people to run with him he typically adds, “I’ll run, but I’m slow. You can probably walk.” The motivation for this run across the country isn’t just for fun. Ernie’s is raising money for LST-325, the last operating Landing Ship Tank of the more than one thousand built during WWII. Ernie served on board an LST during the war. The LSTs were so essential to the war effort, putting equipment and troops
on beaches like Normandy, that according to Ernie, “Churchill called them the ship that won the war.” Ernie was one of 28 WWII Veterans who went to Greece in 2000 to bring the last ship home to Alabama. Today LST-325 is a floating museum and memorial currently docked in Evanston, IL. Ernie and others who support the memorial would love to sail her back to Normandy for the 75th anniversary of D-Day in 2019 if they can raise the necessary funds. As Ernie has made his way slowly across the country, six miles at a time, he always runs with an American flag, and often has other flags to share with those who run with him. Some days he has run alone, especially early on. Now
